Memorial Hospital Research Laboratories

The David Jones Lab

Research

David R. Jones, MD

The primary reason people die from cancer is the development of metastatic disease. As a surgeon-scientist who cares for patients with earlier stage lung and esophageal cancer, my laboratory studies why patients with completely resected cancer still develop metastases and die. We have focused a class of genes known as metastasis suppressor genes and, in particular, breast cancer metastasis suppressor I (BRMS1). We have identified important functions of BRMS1 as a transcriptional repressor, an E3 ligase, and a mediator of RelA/p65 transcription in lung cancer. We currently are focused on BRMS1-mediated suppression of metastases in p53mut lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), as well as the identification of a novel germline point mutation of BRMS1 variant 2 which is actually pro-metastatic. Our lab is also examining tumor genomics in early stage LUAD and has built a comprehensive clinical - and genomically-annotated database for this project. Finally, over the past several years we have established a large patient-derived organoid (PDO) program to explore the biology of metastases and related therapies in vitro and in novel mouse models of metastases.  Finally, we have initiated a prospective study examining the role of tumor-related exosomes and extravesical particles in the development of metastases in operable lung cancer patients.  Collectively, the goal of my laboratory is to understand the biology of metastases in early-stage lung and esophageal cancer and develop therapies to mitigate this deadly process.

Research Projects

The David Jones Lab

Publications

Szymura SJ, Zaemes JP, Allison DF, Clift SH, D’Innocenzi JM, Gray LG, Mckenna BD, morris BB, Bekiranov S, LeGallo RD, Jones DR, Mayo MW. NF-ĸB upregulates glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 2 to promote migration in non-small clell lung cancer. Cell Commun Signal 2019;17(1):24.

Forde PM, Chaft JE, Smith KN, Anagnostou V, TCottrell TR, Hellmann MD, Yang SC, Jones DR, Broderick SR, Battafarano R, Rekhtman N, Olah Z, Naidoo J, Marrone KA, Verde F, Guo H, Caushi J, Chan HY, Scharpf RB, White J, Gabrielson E, Zahurak M, Rosner G, Rusch V, Wolchok JD, Merghoub T, Taube JM, Velculescu VE, Topalian SL, Brahmer JR, Pardoll DM. Neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in resectable lung cancer. N Engl J Med 2018;378:1976-86.

View All Publications

People

David R. Jones, MD

David R. Jones, MD

  • Physician-scientist David R. Jones studies molecular mechanisms governing the development of metastases in lung and esophageal cancers.
jonesd2@mskcc.org
Email Address
212-639-6428
Office Phone
View physician profile
Physician profile

Members

Samhita Bapat
Samhita Bapat

Research Assistant

Di He
Di He

Research Fellow

Manendra Lankadasari
Manendra Lankadasari

Research Fellow

Harry Lengel
Harry Lengel

Research Fellow

Yuan Liu
Yuan Liu

Associate Attending Biochemistry

Brooke Mastrogiacomo
Brooke Mastrogiacomo

Bioinformatics Engineer

Lab Alumni
Elianna Amin

Research Scholar

Whitney Brandt

Research Fellow

Peter Bucciarelli

Research Scholar

Raul Caso
Raul Caso

Research Fellow

Neel Chudgar
Gregory Jones
Gregory Jones

Research Fellow

Shi Yan
Shi Yan

Visiting Investigator

Jian Zhou
Jian Zhou

Visiting Investigator

Juan Zhou
Juan Zhou

Research Scholar

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

  • AACR Career Development Award for Translational Research in Lung Cancer 2001
  • Member, Tumor Progression and Metastases Study Section NCI; 2010-16 (Chair 2014-16)
  • Co-Director, Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research, MSKCC
  • Castle Connolly Top Doctors for Cancer 2010-present

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

Postdoctoral Positions

Apply now

Postdoctoral Researcher

Apply now

Postdoctoral Researcher Lung Cancer Biology

Apply now

View All Open Positions

Get in Touch

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

David R. Jones discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • AstraZeneca
    Provision of Services
  • Medtronic
    Provision of Services
  • Merck & Co Inc.
    Provision of Services (uncompensated)
  • Shanghai Jo’Ann Medical Technology Co., Ltd
    Provision of Services

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.


This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2020 through disclosure submission in spring 2021). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.


View all disclosures